Something a little different for you today:
September 5th, 2016 is Labor Day in the United States. More than 80 countries around the world celebrate International Worker’s Day, or Labour Day at different times of the year. Today is ours and today I celebrate the American worker.
The modern holiday is celebrated with a three-day weekend that marks the unofficial end of summer. Fall activities begin around Labor Day including football, NASCAR and schools going back into session. Retailers use the Labor Day weekend to kick off the fall sales. And of course, it is the last official day to wear white. You know who you are…
Unfortunately the modern observance of the holiday seems to have forgotten the roots that brought Labor Day into being. Following the Pullman Strike of 1894 where 30 workers died and 57 were injured at the hands of the United States Army and Marshals Service, Congress approved Labor Day as an official holiday. It was an attempt by President Grover Cleveland to gain support among the trade unions following the strike. While it is disputed who first proposed the holiday, Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners or machinist Matthew Maguire, the intent was to create a “workingmen’s holiday”.
The American Labor Union movement, most often associated with Labor Day, began in the United States in the 1880’s. The function and influence has varied over the years but they have always played a major role in worker safety, pay, benefits and job security. While the numbers of union workers has declined over the years, unions still wield considerable influence in American politics.
Some argue it is the unions who, demanding too much, cause American companies to take their work overseas in order to remain competitive. Others contend it is the companies themselves whose never ending demand for greater profits at the expense of the workers who made them successful in the first place.
Union or not, it is the everyday workers of this country that have brought us to where we are. From the houses we live in, the roads we drive on, the utilities to make modern life possible, and nearly every commodity we buy, use and trade come from another worker’s hands. Though we live in an increasingly smaller global village where the products and services come to us seamlessly from down the street or the other side of the planet, there is still a sense of pride in American made.
Perhaps it is the conflicts outside our boarders that bring about the national pride when something is “made in the USA”. As some companies outsource more, others are keeping the jobs inside our country or are actively returning them home. American ingenuity, creativity, resourcefulness and quality all contribute to make our products among the best in the world. Many, including myself, are willing to pay a premium for items made in the USA knowing the contributions from American worker that went into it as well as being able to send our own dollars to another part of the nation.
The majority of the nation has today off and will be celebrating with family and friends in ways as varied as our nation itself. During this time, I’d ask you to join me for a moment to remember those who have contributed to what we have today as well as those who are working today for us. To those of you in the service industry, in infrastructure support, health care, military, law enforcement, fire and emergency medical services – and so many more – our thanks for your labor today.
Bob
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